Kelsey's Declassified Fanfic Survival Guide
by Euphoric Weaver
Summary: I have read so many fanfics and over analyzed them to the point of never wanting to read another fanfic, ever again, and have discovered what it takes to create a great fanfic. Read and discover the secrets of the all powerful fanfic!
1. The Blend

Kelsey's Declassified Fanfic Survival Guide

Fanfiction, the American equivelant of Dojinshi in Japan. (A/N: Dojinshi is basically a fan comic, if you aren't a big anime fan.) There are many many different fanfics out there, and many different kinds as well, though not all of them are good. Fanfiction is the highest form of flattery to any author or artist, and if you are writing a fanfic, you want it to be good, to impress the author, to make it flattery and not insult, because if a fanfic, is just that Fan-made fiction. And unless you are just some hateful person, who is writing JUST to bash the show or the author, you don't want to accidentally insult the writer. This is the main reason some people don't write their fanfiction ideas, and some others don't even know that what they are writing, may be insulting. This guide is to help those who want help, to point out some basic flaws in others, and also to help your fanfic, or any other story you might want to write, get read and get good reviews.

So, the first question is: what makes a good fanfic? Is it the plot? No, not necessarily. I've read about 90 something Ned fics with close to the same plot, and I still like them, it's not the plot that does it, not really. Okay, then is it the dialogue? No, in fact, too much dialogue can detract from the value of the substance of the fic. Oh, then it's the substance? Mmm.. not really the substance either. Then what is it? I believe it's the telling, the way you convey your fancif to the world. If you're going for a romance fic, you might want to go for first person, since this is by far the most intimate look into the characters head, and it allows for my favorite method learned in school, called the show, don't tell. And be honest, do you narrate inside you're head "I'm embarrassed?" No, I think not. It's the thought, What sets your fanfic apart from the hundreds, no, thousands, hundred thousands of other fanfics out there! And the best way to do that is to change the way you tell the story, to get inside the readers head, make them feel for your character the way you feel for a best friend, or the way you emote about your own problems! But it's not only that, it's also a good blend of all the other elements of writing, like dialogue, and detail, and action, and also plot and character development. I'm going to assume you're writing a romantific (romantic fanfic) for the duration of this guide, capiche?

Okay, the first thing i'm going to enlighten you upon is called "the blend," says me, and this has to deal with the ratio in your fic of dialogue to action/ description. Now we all know dialogue is important, it's how we find out most of the information from outside characters, which are not the main character, if the story is a first person or a third person limited. Overall, though, dialogue isn't what you should focus on, especially in a romance fic, actually, in almost any, but especially in romance. The amount of dialogue in respect to the amount of action or description I think should be about one third. i know that some chapters basically revolve around speech and that's fine, but if it's just to move the scene along (like say, what the characters are saying while they play a game and it isn't important to the plot at all), cut it out, or possibly put some description in between that helps disperse the dialogue.

But not enough dialogue can annoy the more skim-reader. If a scene has absolutely no dialogue the skimmer may find it 'unimportant' and skip the scene all together, when it may in fact be the pivotal scene! but dialogue just for the sake of dialogue, can be really boring. You don't want any part of your fic to be boring to the reader.

Besides a good, healthy blend, which any good fic has (keep in mind, we are also trying to DISTINGUISH our fic from others), one must have an interesting way of telling their story, what teachers call 'voice'. It is your distinctive writing style, and it is most what people look for in good stories. Are your favorite stories exactly like the other stories, or do they have some thread that makes them different from all the others? A way to make your story different, is to add some of your own comments, or some of your humor. I looked for an example in my piece, but I cannot find one distinctive example, my whole story is pretty much voice. Okay, I have another way of describing voice. Voice is when the reader can hear the author in the piece. When they can see through just the plain telling and see the personality behind it.

Another really important thing to strive for in your piece is subtlety. Don't just tell people about something, show them. Don't tell them, Moze was in love with Ned, show them. Show what she thinks about him. How she thinks his smile is just the best thing in the world, or something of the like. Don't tell emotions, show them. Another thing in subtlety, is just suggest things. Make them think something instead telling them it's right. Show Ned looking apprehensive, don't tell them Ned was secretly scared. Because then it isn't a secret. You want to give the reader soemthing to think about, so don't be completely obvious in your telling; this is also what makes a great story.

This has been chapter one of KDFSG. Chapter two will come out shortly, thanks for reading!


	2. Getting Reviews

Okay, I am seriously feeling the need for a chapter two of my guide, seeing as I have been giving MANY constructive reviews lately. In this chapter I will be telling you what you need to get more reviews! Everyone wants that, so here they are.

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Reviews, what an author looks for first as soon as signing on to any writing website. Reviews can either make or break a story, or more accurately, an authors spirit. Say for instance one author gets nothing but flames, or hateful reviews that don't tell them how to get better, just that they need to (in far worse language than appropriate). That author will then think that everyone hates their work, and that they have no chance of getting better. I.E., they stop writing for good. They may even develop a phobia or perhaps a hate for writing. Writing is already thought down upon by many in this world, deemed as a career for dreamers, or even as a necessary evil during school. But if an author receives praise and constructive criticism they may find an interesting and fun new hobby or even a career path.

But then again, no reviews can be equally as damaging. No reviews can be misinterpreted as the people hate the fic, and that there is no hope because no one is trying to help them. But that's not the way to think about it. No reviews should be thought of as people think the fic is okay. If it is really bad, people will let you know, the same goes for if it's good. If the fic is sort of okay, they can't really see anything that's wrong with it, people usually don't take the time to review. Here are some tips to help change your fic from okay, to "I really like it!"

1. Show emotion. Take time out to really pull out the stops in your way of describing how the character is feeling. If words don't seem adequate, then show it. Crying is a bit over used, and be honest, who cries every time they're a little sad? Different things that can show sadness or anger (or both!) is to have the character punch something, or more accurately, slam their fist onto something, or instead of saying "she was so angry she couldn't see straight" (OVERUSED), how about she seethed quietly while tuning out everything else". Or for first person, "I ground my teeth, fists clinching into tight little balls on my lap." Again, show don't tell.

2. It's okay to use thesauri! Go to dictionary dot com and click on "Thesaurus". A search bar will appear and you type in the word you want to replace. Take anger for instance. Some words you might use instead are "fury", "rage", or "ire". Don't use angry every time, the other words pack more of a wallop.

3. Don't have meaningless chatter. The less useless speaking, the better. You don't have to describe everything in the conversation, especially if it's off topic, which most friend to friend conversations are. Use conversation to make a point, to show closeness, or to imply things. Subtlety is the key. Make the dialog as realistic as possible. One way to do this is to read your fic out loud to see if it sounds natural, or if the character would really say it. Think about who the character really is. What you might say in a situation is not neccesarily what the _character _would say, or should say. This is ESPECIALLY important when the character is talking to the "significant other". Show emotion in their speech as well. If they are nervous use stuttering, but not too much, dot dot dots are also a good way to show nervousness and not \knowing what to say.

Now, even if people don't review, DON'T take it the wrong way! A way to get more reviews without totally changing your writing STYLE is to update often. The more people see your story title, and the more chapters you have, the more people will eventually read your story. And the more people that read, usually the more people review. If you haven't updated in a while and this is the reason not many people have reviewed, type out a small chapter, while forcing yourself to write another, longer chapter next time. Longer chapters equals more reviews, as there is more to judge and more to review. Posting new chapters brings your story to the top of the list, and thus more people will be subjected to it.

By far the best way to get reviews is to WRITE. Just keep posting, don't get discouraged! Change the summary of your story often, but not majorly. Try not to change the title or your name much either. Post many stories, even if they are just one shots. People think you take your writing more seriously then. Remember, everyone was a beginner once, but you don't have to tell people that either. Try not to put "This is my first fic", "I suck at summaries", "No flames!" or comments of that effect in your authors box. It discourages people from reading it because they think it might be bad, and it is highly unprofessional. Try only to comment about your plot in the summary, and also couple pairings isn't a good idea. Leave the reader guessing at who will get together and whatnot. Don't be afraid to talk to your reader though, just do it at the appropriate times, like before and after the chapter. If you need to make a note, put an asterik (star) by where you want to comment, and then put a note at the bottom of the page. It's much more professional looking and may earn you more of a respect from your readers.

Add your own touch and style to your fan fictions. Use your own ideas, but you shouldn't differ too much from the actual plot or risk upsetting the cannon readers. What I mean is alternate universes and such. Cross-overs are also a really big stretch, because while the people that watch both shows might like it, it's a very doubtful that many people will watch BOTH shows, and even if they have, there is a requirement that they LIKE both shows. When adding your own ideas, some can be from other fanfics, but please try to avoid it, or at least ask the authors permission first. As a fellow author you should know we ALL work very hard on our own stories, and would appreciate it if our ideas weren't stolen.

Another way to get more reads and reviews is to have a very nice summary. Tell us the basic plot, but leave the reader guessing in it. Don't tell them how it will come out, but assure them that it will be finished. The best way to do this as I said earlier is to update FREQUENTLY! Now, most of us have lives, so don't feel the need to update everyday, though readers would very much like that. It would keep a loyal fan-base, and they would trust you and read and review religiously. Also make sure you spell check your summary. Nothing is more repelling than a summary with chat-speak or bad grammar.

Another good way to get reviews, is to review OTHER STORIES! Sign your reviews, the more you show your name the better to get the word out that you're new and you have good stories. Give other authors good reviews, and use proper english, and then people will know what to expect in your stories as well. Don't feel afraid to ask authors you admire for reviews. Some people actually don't review unless you ask them to, seriously, and if you do ask them ask them nicely. Flatter them, tell them that you would be honored for them to read your story and give you constructive criticism, that's a great phrase to use and is what you should strive for, but don't come on too hard. Ask them nicely and then let them do it or not. Don't ask a million times.

There are many ways to garner more reviews, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. I will post more when I think of them, but the best way truly is to just continuously update. Reviewers (some of them) are hopeless, and you shouldn't rely on them, but they are a nice incentive and helpful at times. Don't feel discouraged if you don't get them, you can't publish fanfiction anyway. Fanfiction is just a way of honoring the writer, the story, or changing some things you just don't like about the original plot. It's a way to hone your skills and practise your writing, and that's what you should really focus on; getting better as a writer, making yourself happy using your writing, and putting your ideas down on paper for others to see.

Euphoric Weaver


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